Pubradio Should Tap Into Online Sharing Trends, Study Says

Online sharing rates continue to rise, providing “strong opportunities for public radio content creators to expand its boundaries and attract new users,” findings from the recently released Jacobs Media Strategies’ 8th Annual Public Radio Techsurvey say.

Radio World has been reporting on the Techsurvey findings this week. It’s a study of how public radio listeners use various media. The survey draws its data from 29,406 public radio listeners via surveys distributed by 69 public radio stations to their members.

A third of respondents, according to the survey, say they frequently share content they see online via email, social media and websites. The survey notes this trend has consistently been in the incline since its inception eight years ago.

The Jacobs’ Techsurvey also had key information regarding radio in cars.

When it comes to audio sources in cars, 68% report using AM/FM radio, 11% report using satellite radio, 9% reported using owned music, 3% were tuning into podcasts and another 3% were listening to audio books, 2% were streaming Pandora and another 1% was streaming another source of audio and lastly, 3% percent were listening to something that constitutes as “other.”

Now among connected car owners it’s a game changer, Jacobs’ reports. It was found that 55% were listening to AM/FM and that an increase up to 21% percent of respondents who owned a connected car were listening to satellite radio and another 11% percent were listening to owned music.

However the need for an AM/FM radio in a car is high for many people seeking to buy a new car. The survey found that among new car owners and those looking for a new car this year 88% agree that it’s “very important” for the car to have an AM/FM radio. When that same question was asked for other car components, 62% agreed having a smartphone connector was important, 18% agreed having satellite radio was important and 16% agreed having HD Radio was important.